This invention relates to a termination or assembling tool for assembling electrical cables such as ribbon cables to an electrical connector which has a receptacle for receiving a cable in electrical termination with conductive contacts on the connector.
Ribbon cables or the like conventionally comprise a plurality of parallel individual cables arranged in a generally flat conformation with the individual cables joined by a thermoplastic webbing. The ribbon cable normally is assembled to an elongated electrical connector which has receptacle means including a plurality of linearly oriented slots or notches for receiving the individual cables of the ribbon cable. The slots or notches are formed in a somewhat rigid thermoplastic insert of the connector which, in turn, is housed in a metal casing. The slots or notches for the cable protrude outwardly from the housing for receiving the ribbon cable and the individual cables thereof. Electrical contacts are associated with each of the individual slots or notches and oftentimes include contact blades which pierce the insulation about the individual cables of the ribbon cable to establish electrical conductivity with the electrical wires of the cables. Although the driving force for piercing by the contact blades through the insulation of a single individual cable is not relatively considerable, it can be seen that the force required to drive the piercing blades of the plurality of contacts through a considerable number of cables of the composite ribbon cable is multiplied considerably and, due to this composite force, the thermoplastic receptacle portion comprising the insert for the electrical connector oftentimes is deformed and, in fact, in some instances does not result in a good connection between the piercing blades of the contacts and the electrical conductors of the cables.
This invention is directed to a new and improved termination hand tool of the characteric described which is very simple and efficient in operation while eliminating the problems referred to above.